Freely rotatable multiple drum display device



FREELY ROTATABLE MULTIPLE DRUM DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 13, 1968 G. H. BERRY Aug. 4, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet l R Q m 1 i m GM FREELY ROTATABLE MULTIPLE DRUM DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 15, 1968 G. H- BERRY Aug. 4, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet "'3 GEDEGrE HAMHJ'ON 'BEPJ. muzmoa fi MmMRtJd M Aug. 4, 1970 3,522,741

FREELY ROTATABLE MULTIPLE DRUM DIS'PLAY'DEVICE Filed May 13. 1968 G.H. BERRY 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 GEORGE HAMILTON BERRY. "Neural wmmixJuflMMlzu 4&0

4, 1970 G. H. BERRY 3,522,741

FREELY ROTATABLE MULTIPLE DRUM DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 13, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 III/[Ill I l/ z x 1 A U n 0 1 j i 51 5. Z i Z 51 j I f I 52 s2 j 3 47 5 5 I 5 46 471x 48 g 7 r 1.7 ZA

GEORGE HAMILTON EEQRV,

United States Patent Int. Cl. F16h 59/00; F16d 19/00 US. Cl. 74-142 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotatable drum display device has a stationary shaft. A row of drums have their hub units rotatable and slidable on the shaft. Friction thrust pads are between the drums and normal disengagement therefrom. A pair of rotatable collars are on one end of the shaft having coacting inclined teeth and sockets. Means are provided for applying drive to the drums by rotating the outer one of the sockets in a sense tending to disengage the teeth from their sockets so as to produce axial separation on the collars, thereby compacting the row of drums and friction pads to connect frictionally the remainder of the driving rotation of the outer socket to all drums, While permitting spinning of the drums when said drive is removed.

This invention relates to display devices utilising multiple rotatable drums such as used in gaming, i.e. fruit and poker, machines, hereafter referred to simply as slot machines.

At the present time these machines are provided with three or four drums upon each of which a multiplicity of cards or characters are displayed. The conventional form of display device having rotary drive to commence free rotation, or spinning, of the drums employs an assembly shaft upon which the drums are rotatably mounted and separate sleeves with terminal discs circumferentially toothed connected to respective drums so that the discs are located in juxtaposition at one end of the roW of drums. A driving pawl or pawls rotate the discs by engagement with their teeth. It has been possible to perforate the faces of the discs so as to sense, by alignment of perforations, the occurrence of paying combinations of characters or cards as they are displayed upon the drums.

All of the sleeves connected to the drum are, therefore, concentric upon the assembly shaft and whereas this construction is conveniently capable of mass production when the number of drums does not exceed four, the construction becomes extremely difiicult to achieve efficiently by these methods when five drums require to be provided. Furthermore, spinning of the drums is not entirely independent.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a freely rotatable display device having five drums which is relatively simple to construct and reliable in service.

In a general form of the invention there is provided a rotatable multiple drum display device comprising an assembly shaft, hub units for individual drums rotatable in a row upon the shaft, a rotatable multiple drum display device comprising an assembly shaft, hub units for individual drums rotatable in a row upon the shaft, drive means for initiating rotation of the drums upon the shaft, means for frictionally engaging the drive means with the hub units of all drums when drive is applied and for disconnecting said frictional engagement when the drive is removed, whereby all drums are rotated and then permitted to spin.

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Two preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of only the mechanism frame of a slot machine showing a first preferred form of the invention;

PIEIGI. 2 is a front elevation of the mechanism shown in FIG. 3 is a side elevation in section on the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation in half section of only the drum assembly of a second form of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the drum assembly of this form; and,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a dog clutch associated with the second form of the invention.

The invention will now be described with reference to a first preferred embodiment thereof, shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, in which the display device is designed for use in a five drum slot machine. The device consists of an assembly shaft 7 suitably supported through journals at its ends 8 in a frame 9 for the machine. Five drum assemblies 10 are rotatably mounted side by side upon the assembly shaft 7. Each drum assembly 10 comprises a drum rim 11 around the outer peripheral face of which are displayed a plurality of different characters or cards (.not shown), and a hub unit 12 connected to the rim 11 by medial web 13.

Each hub unit 12 comprises an inner driving member 14 (see FIG. 3) and an annular outer driven member 15. Tangential circumferential grooves 16 are formed in each driving member 14 which is a clearance fit within the bore 17 of the driven member 15. Balls or rollers 18 are loosely accommodated in each groove 16. Each member 14 is rigidly secured to the shaft 7, and said shaft may be rotated by a crank arm 19 secured to the shaft near one side of the frame 9. When arm 19 is pulled downwardly the balls 18 lock the members 14 and 15 together so that the drums 1t) rotate. When the downward movement of the arm 19 ceases, however, the balls 18 will release the member 15 from the member 14 and the drums 10 can all continue to spin by virtue of the momentum they acquired initially from the movement of the arm 19.

The actuating handle (not shown) is adapted to bring about displacement of the arm 19 through the following mechanism. The said actuating handle, when pulled by an operator, causes displacement of a large lever 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow 21 (FIG. 1), the said lever being pivotally attached at 22 to the frame 9. The lever 20 is provided with an integral rack 23 which, in association with a pawl 24, ensures that a full stroke of said handle is achieved each time the actuating handle is pulled.

A spring loaded trigger 25 is pivotally secured to the arm 26 of the lever 20. A second transverse shaft 27 is journalled in the frame 9 below and to the rear of the shaft 7. A hub member 28 is rigidly secured to the shaft on the outer side of the frame 9 and an axially slidable abutment member 29 is loosely secured within the hub 28. A solenoid 30 is secured to the hub member 28 and the armature of said solenoid is secured to the member 29 by a link 31. With the solenoid 30 in the position shown in FIG. 1, the abutment member 29 lies in the path of the trigger 25, so that movement of the lever 20 will cause angular displacement of the hub 28 and shaft 27. A radial lever arm 32 is rigidly secured to the shaft 7 adjacent the inner surface of the frame 9 and in the same vertical plane as the arm 19. A link 33 pivotally connects the ends of the arms 19 and 32. A spring 34 normally draws the lever 32 downwardly onto a stop 35.

As the lever 20 is depressed by movement of the actuating handle, the arms 19 and 32 will be raised, against the action of the spring 34. The balls 18 permit the members 14 to move without rotating the drums 10, Near the limit of the movement of the lever 20, the trigger 25 will release the abutment 29, so that spring 34 can pull the arm 32 back down onto the stop 35. This rapid downward movement is imparted to the lever 19 and members 14 and the balls 18 also impart this movement through frictional engagement with members 15 to the drums 10 which will commence to spin freely after the levers 19 and 32 have come to rest, as the frictional engagement of the balls 18 will then be relieved.

The spinning drums 10 must now be brought to rest in sequence. The mechanism performing this function will now be described.

A circumferentially apertured star wheel 36 is secured to each drum 10 so that it rotates with said drum. A series of bell crank levers 37 are loosely mounted at 38 on the shaft 27 for convenience only, and are not affected by the previously described movements of said shaft 27. The first arm 39 of each lever 37 extends forwardly over the respective armature 40 of five vertically mounted solenoids 41, and springs 42 load the arms 39 onto said solenoids 41.

The other vertical arm 43 of the bell cranks 37 extend up to a position adjacent each respective star wheel 36. A block 44, secured to the end of each arm 43, is drawn into an aperture 45 in the star wheel 36, by the spring 42 when the solenoid armatures 40 are retracted to permit it.

When a coin is inserted into the machine the solenoid 30 is energised so that the abutment 29 is moved into the path of the trigger 25. The actuating handle, therefore, when depressed partly in effect arms the machine so that the drums 10 can be actuated by the spring 34 when trigger 25 disengages. At the same time each solenoid 41 is also energised so that the blocks 44 are withdrawn from the star wheel 36 to release all drums 10.

The drums 10 are set spinning by the mechanism previously described. The solenoids 41 are now progressively de-energised by circuitry which does not form part of the present invention. As each solenoid 41 is de-energised, its associated drum 10 is halted by the block 44 entering the appropriate star wheel 36.

A second form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4, and 6. In this case the drums A are supported on a shaft 7A suitably supported in the machine frame (not shown). A stop member 46 encircling the shaft 7A is fixed at one end of the shaft 7A. Each drum 10A is mounted on a hub unit 47 loosely mounted on the shaft 7A. Each hub unit 47 as an internal bore with a sleeve bearing 48 press fitted therein, and the hubs 47 of the five drums 10A are mounted in a row along the assembly shaft 7A. The hub unit 47A at the far end of the row is adapted to abut the stop member 46 and in this form of the invention the hub units 47 are separated by thrust or friction pads 49. Each hub unit 47 is free to rotate upon its bearing 48 about the assembly shaft 7A and such spinning, or free rotation, may be initiated by axially compressing the row of hub units 47 against the thrust pads 49 frictionally to transmit drive applied to an end hub unit 47B to all other hub units 47 in the row.

The end portion 50 of each hub unit 47 extends into the space 51 between adjacent drum rims. A star wheel 52 is provided on this end portion 50 of each hub unit 47 whereby suitable locating means for each drum may be applied. Means for connecting the initial rotary drive may be applied at the near end portion 53 of the assembly shaft 7A, i.e. remote from the stop member 46. A suitable spring motor of conventional, or other design, may be operated by the patrons handle (not shown) on the machine and connected as desired to the initial rotary drive means.

This latter means preferably comprises a thrust collar 54 slidably located upon the assembly shaft 7A and spaced from the near end hub unit 47B by a thrust or friction pad 55. An actuating radial arm 56 secured to a hollow boss 57, which is also slidably mounted upon the assembly shaft 7A outside the collar 54, serves to connect the initial drive from the spring motor to the drum hub units 47. A further stop member, which may be nuts 58 threaded upon the assembly shaft 7A, is in turn fixed outside of the slidable boss 57.

The adjacent confronting faces 59 and 60 of the boss 57 and the thrust collar 54, respectively, are so prepared as to derive a positive drive connection therebetween after initial relative axial displacement. This may be achieved by providing upon the boss 57 two or more diametrally opposed inclined dogs or integral teeth 61 with mating recesses 62 provided in the confronting face of the thrust collar 54. Providing, therefore, that the initial driving force tends to move the teeth 61 on the boss 57 in a disengaging direction from their corresponding recesses, initial relative axial displacement will occur. It will be arranged that the accumulative degree of compression in all of the thrust pads 49 and 55 is insufficient to permit the inclined teeth 61 on the driving boss 57 from completely withdrawing from their recesses 62. Thus when the thrust pads 49 and 55 have been sufficiently compacted by the axial displacement of the thrust collar 54 continued drive applied to the actuating radial arm 56 will by friction cause all five drums 10A to rotate upon the assembly shaft 7A. As soon as the drive is disconnected from the arm 56 the compression on the thrust pads 49 and 55 will be relieved to cause reseating of the inclined teeth 61 within the thrust collar recesses 62 so that the drums 10A will be free to spin upon the assembly shaft.

Two preferred embodiments have been described in the foregoing passages but it is to be clearly understood that modification thereof and other forms are feasible within the scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. A rotatable multiple drum display device comprising an assembly shaft, hub units for individual drums rotatable in a row upon said shaft, drive means for initiating rotation of said drums upon said shaft, said drive means comprising a pair of collars rotatable upon an end of said shaft, a first one of which collars being axially slidable into engagement with an end one of said hub units, inclined teeth on one collar and inclined corresponding sockets for said teeth on said other collar, said collars being so arranged that drive to said drums is applied to a second one of said collars in a sense tending to disengage said teeth with respective ones of said sockets thereby producing axial separation of said two collars, and frictional connection means between said hub units to connect said drive from hub unit to hub unit successively along said row to rotate all of said hub units in unison, said frictional connection means being rendered operative only when said axial separation of said two collars occurs whereby all of said drums are rotated during application of said drive and then allowed to spin when said drive is removed.

2. A drum display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said drive to said drums is provided by spring means restoring from an armed condition, and wherein said second one of said collars has a radial arm manually operable for rotating said second one of said collars to said armed condition of said spring means.

3. A drum display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said frictional connection means between said hub units are friction pads, and said hub units are axially slidable on said shaft and are separated by said friction pads, whereby engagement of said end hub unit by said first one of said collars compresses said row of said hub units to effect frictional engagement between all of said hub units.

4. A drum display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a star wheel is fixed with each of said drums and engaged by an abutment carried upon a pivoted arm con- 5 trolled individually from an electric solenoid when stopping of said drum from spinning is required.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,061,288 11/1936 Murray 192-4892 2,298,273 10/1942 Blattner 74-142 2,551,656 5/ 1951 Breitenstein 74-142 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner 5 W. S. RATLIFF, JR., Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

